| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
It emphasizes critical thinking, analytical skills, and practical experience through field trips and a professional placement. Graduates are equipped for careers in archaeology, history, and various other fields, with a focus on developing transferable skills such as problem-solving, communication, and teamwork.
Program Outline
Degree Overview
Archaeology and History (BA)
- Combines archaeological and historical study, providing a comprehensive picture of human past and societies.
- Explores various archaeological excavation and historical research methods.
- Emphasizes critical and analytical skills, preparing students for postgraduate study, archaeological and heritage sector jobs, or other professional fields.
- Offers equal time to both subjects, studying human past through material, written, and visual evidence.
Outline:
Year One:
- Introduces archaeology and its methods.
- Focuses on the archaeology of Britain from prehistory to the present and the archaeology of Mediterranean societies (ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome).
- Introduces key archaeological field skills through fieldtrips to heritage sites in Wales and England.
- Introduces historical study, theoretical frameworks for historical research, and writing history.
- Offers various optional modules on medieval history, Renaissance to Revolution, early modern and Welsh history.
Year Two:
- Includes a 4-week professional placement in an archeological excavation or heritage organization.
- Introduces advanced theoretical approaches and historical research methods.
- Provides two optional modules in archaeology focusing on specific periods and regions.
Year Three:
- Offers archaeology optional modules focusing on archeological method or specific periods or regions.
- Offers history modules delving deeper into the nature of historical developments.
- Provides opportunities to develop analytical and writing skills through specialized modules.
- Includes an optional dissertation: a major independent research project exploring a question from both historical and archeological perspectives.
Teaching:
- Offers a supportive and personalized learning environment.
- Includes lectures, discussion-based seminars, workshops, fieldtrips, individual supervision, and one-to-one tuition for dissertation projects.
- Provides expert guidance from lecturers who share their latest research and knowledge in the field.
- Emphasizes critical thinking, analytical skills, source evaluation, argument construction, theoretical utilization, writing, and debate.
- Fosters teamwork, independent research, and time management skills.
Careers:
- Graduates can pursue careers as archaeologists with commercial companies or national heritage bodies, historians in museums and archives, or positions in public/private sectors like law, publishing, or finance.
- Provides opportunities to develop skills through training and career events, placement opportunities (4-week placement in year 2), and modules focusing on translating skills to the workplace.
Assessment:
- Utilize various assessment methods including essays, research projects, reviews, presentations, source criticisms, social media posts, collaborative projects, and creating museum exhibitions or guides to historical sources.
- Assess skills through smaller guided tasks in the first year and formative tasks in years two and three.
- Provide individual and group feedback for reflection and progress monitoring.
- Encourage students to develop critical thinking, analytical and presentation skills, and the ability to address complex issues.
Other:
- Studying abroad is available.
Fees for home status
We are currently awaiting confirmation on tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year. The University reserves the right to increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of a course as permitted by law or Welsh Government policy. Where applicable we will notify you of any change in tuition fee by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which the fee will increase.
Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland
We are currently awaiting confirmation on tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year. Learn more about the undergraduate fees for students from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. You may also want to buy copies of other books, either because they are particularly important for your modules or because you find them particularly interesting. You will need suitable clothing (e.g. waterproofs and suitable footwear) and sometimes accommodation (e.g. tent and sleeping bag) for field trips and fieldwork.
Course specific equipment
You will need suitable clothing (e.g. waterproofs and suitable footwear) and sometimes accommodation (e.g. tent and sleeping bag) for field trips and fieldwork. The University has funds available for students experiencing financial difficulties in purchasing this equipment.
